Veronica plant named ‘Enchanted Indigo’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Spiked Speedwell plant.  Veronica spicata  ‘Enchanted Indigo’, as herein described and illustrated, with compact habit with stiff upright to branched spikes producing royal-purple flowers over a long period beginning early summer and continuing to early fall with deadheading.

Botanical classification: Veronica spicata.

Variety denomination: ‘Enchanted Indigo’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar of Spiked Speedwell, botanically known as Veronica spicata ‘Enchanted Indigo’, and hereinafter also referred to by the cultivar name ‘Enchanted Indigo’ or “the new plant”. The new plant originally discovered by the inventor, Hans A. Hansen in the summer of 2010 as a volunteer seedling in a production field block near some plantings of other unknown cultivars the previous season. The specific field block was in Zeeland, Mich., USA and was operated by a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant was originally given the breeder code “WG ve12-01”. The plant has been asexually propagated by shoot tip cuttings at the same nursery in the greenhouses in Zeeland, Mich., with subsequent asexually propagated plants found to be stable and identical to the original selection with all the same traits as the original seedling.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Veronica ‘Enchanted Indigo’ is unique from all other Spiked Speedwell known to the inventor. Several other cultivars have blue to purple flowers, but this is the only variety known by the applicant to have the following trait combinations.

The closest comparison varieties are Veronica ‘Atomic Violet’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,780, Veronica ‘Glory’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,932, Veronica ‘Goodness Grows’ (not patented), U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,780, Veronica ‘Hocus Pocus’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,853 and Veronica ‘Sunny Border Blue’(not patented). The new plant has flower color that is more royal purple than ‘Goodness Grows’ or ‘Glory’, is shorter than ‘Sunny Border Blue’ Atomic Violet' and ‘Glory’ and is slightly taller than ‘Hocus Pocus’.

TABLE 1 VERONICA COMPARISON Cultivar Petal Color Scape Height ‘Atomic Violet’ dark purple-violet 48 to 50 cm ‘Enchanted Indigo’ royal purple 40 to 46 cm ‘Goodness Grows’ blue 30 to 35 cm ‘Hocus Pocus’ vivid violet-purple 35 to 40 cm ‘Glory’ violet-blue 38 to 46 cm ‘Sunny Border Blue’ violet-blue 45 to 60 cm

The following are traits of Veronica ‘Enchanted Indigo’ that in combination distinguish it from all other Spiked Speedwell know to the inventor:

-   -   1. Compact habit with stiff upright branched spikes above dense         mats of foliage.     -   2. Scapes with numerous flowers of distinctly and uniformly         royal purple petals.     -   3. Branched peduncles with long blooming season.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photograph of the new plant demonstrates the overall appearance and unique traits of Veronica ‘Enchanted Indigo’ as a two-year old plant grown in greenhouse. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

FIG. 2 shows the plant in full flower.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references of a greenhouse-grown two-year old plant of Veronica ‘Enchanted Indigo’ are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Veronica ‘Enchanted Indigo’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on two-year old plants in the full sun trial garden of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Veronica spicata. -   Parentage: Female (seed parent) unknown Veronica; male (pollen     parent) unknown. -   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, compact, with average 26     stems, main stems 16 to 22 cm tall without scapes and clumping to 38     to 45 cm wide; flowering beginning late June in Michigan and     continuing for about 6 weeks with occasional repeat if deadheaded. -   Leaves: Simple, flat, elliptic to lanceolate, opposite, serrated,     minutely pubescent below and above, acute apex, attenuate base;     about 8.0 cm long by 3.0 cm wide decreasing in both length and width     distally. -   Leaf color: Mature leaves nearer RHS 139A than RHS 139B on top,     between RHS 138A and RHS 137C below; young expanding leaves nearest     RHS 144A above and below. -   Veins: Reticulate, minutely and sparsely pubescent below and above;     main vein about 1.0 mm diameter at abaxial base and 0.5 mm at     adaxial base. -   Vein color: Adaxial surface base of center vein nearest RHS 144A,     gradually darkening within proximal one third to same color as leaf;     on abaxial surface proximal one half of center vein and secondary     veins closest to center vein on abaxial surface between RHS 145A and     RHS 145B gradually becoming same color as surrounding tissue going     toward margin and apex. -   Petiole: Simple, concaved upward on edges, minutely pubescent above     and below; about 1.0 to 2.0 cm long (distally shorter) and 2.0 mm     wide. -   Petiole color: Adaxial side nearest RHS 144A in center and RHS 138A     on margins; abaxial side between RHS 145A and RNS 145B in center and     nearest RHS 138B on margins; -   Buds two days prior to opening: Convolute, narrowly oblong, obtuse     apex; about 6.0 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter. -   Bud color: Nearest RHS 93A throughout. -   Flowers: On heavily branched upright spikes in compressed     conglomerate; numerous, approximately 220 per main spike; about 8.0     mm in diameter and about 10.0 mm deep; no deductible fragrance;     flowers persist individually for 4 to 6 days whether on the plant or     cut; petals self-cleaning, sepals persistent. -   Petals: Four, coarsely sinuous; one larger petal above and three     slightly small below, simple, entire, with rounded apex and fused in     basal one third; larger petal about 7.0 mm long by 5.0 mm wide,     smaller petals about 7.0 mm long and 4.0 mm wide; glabrous outer and     inner sides except with 1.0 mm long hairs at inside tube base. -   Flower timing: Early to mid-summer and repeating if deadheaded into     early fall. -   Flower fragrance: None detected. -   Petal color: Inside surface apex between RHS 93A and RHS 90A and     lightening to RHS 90C at base, hairs inside tube white, whiter than     RHS 155D; outer surface nearest RHS 90A. -   Androecium:     -   -   Filaments.—Two, fused to lower portion of petal; about 6.0             mm long by 0.3 mm; color nearest RHS 90A.         -   Anther.—Dorsifixed, longitudinal; elliptic with acute apex,             about 1.5 mm by 1.0 mm; color between RHS N186A and RHS             N92A.         -   Pollen.—Abundant, globose, less than 0.1 mm; nearest RHS 4C. -   Gynoecium: One, persists after petal drop.     -   -   Style.—Straight; extending in an angle of about 10 to 40             degrees above horizontal; about 8.0 mm long by 0.3 mm; color             nearest RHS N87C in proximal 1.0 mm and darkening to nearest             RHS 93A distally.         -   Stigma.—Globose; about 0.25 mm in diameter; color RHS 93A.         -   Ovary.—Spherical to slightly elliptic; about 1.0 mm in             diameter; color between RHS 144A and RHS 144B. -   Sepals: Four, surface dull, ovate to narrowly ovate, acute apex,     base fused forming corolla, sparsely pubescent with minute glandular     hairs, upper pair about 3.0 mm long and 2.0 mm wide, lower pair     about 4.0 mm long by about 2.0 mm wide. -   Sepal color: Abaxial nearest RHS 138A distally and RHS 138B     proximally; adaxial nearest RHS 137A throughout. -   Peduncle: About 26 per plant; raceme, strong, erect, branched at     nodes, round in cross section, minutely pubescent to canescent;     about 46 cm long and 3.5 mm in diameter at the base, terminal     flowering section of the main stem 18 to 23 cm long, averaging 20 cm     long; diameter of flowering portion of raceme about 3.0 cm; freely     branching at nearly every node; about 7 to 8 nodes before flowers;     average internode length about 3.2 cm. -   Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 138B. -   Pedicel: Rigid, about 1.0 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, sparsely     pubescent with minute hairs to about 45 degrees above horizontal. -   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 137C. -   Bract: One, subtending each flower, linear, acute apex, mostly     entire, sessile, based fused to peduncle, proximal bracts about 2.5     cm long and 5.0 mm wide and decreasing distally to about 4.0 mm long     and less than 1.0 mm wide. -   Bract color: Between RHS 137A and RHS 139A above and between RHS     137C and RHS 18A below. -   Fruit: Elliptic, about 1.0 mm long; color between RHS 166A and RHS     166B. -   Propagation: The plant roots from cuttings in about 2 weeks and     finishes to flowering in a 3.8 liter container in 8 to 10 weeks     following a vernalization period of about 8 weeks. -   Hardiness, pest and disease resistance: The plant grows best with     plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate     some drought when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4     through 8. Disease and pest resistance beyond what is typical of     that of other Spiked Speedwell has not been observed. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Spiked Speedwell plant, Veronica spicata ‘Enchanted Indigo’, as herein described and illustrated, with compact habit with stiff upright to branched spikes producing royal-purple flowers over a long period and suitable as a potted plant, for the garden, and for cut flower arrangements. 